owed

adj.due

Synonyms for owed

MOST RELEVANT

Antonyms for owed

Word Origin & History

Old English agan (past tense ahte) "to have, own," from Proto-Germanic *aiganan "to possess" (cf. Old Frisian aga, Old Norse eiga, Old High German eigan, Gothic aigan "to possess, have"), from PIE *aik- "to be master of, possess" (cf. Sanskrit ise "he owns," isah "owner, lord, ruler;" Avestan is- "riches," isvan- "well-off, rich").

Sense of "to have to repay" began in late Old English with the phrase agan to geldanne literally "to own to yield," which was used to translate Latin debere (earlier in Old English this would have been sceal "shall"); by late 12c. the phrase had been shortened to simply agan, and own (v.) took over this word's original sense.

An original Germanic preterite-present verb (cf. can, dare, may, etc.). New past tense form owed arose 15c. to replace oughte, which developed into ought (v.).

Example Sentences for owed

They owed me every thing, like you—their gratitude was unbounded, even as yours.

I have said that the Carters owed their little farm to the creek.

I pitied him; I owed him hospitality; but it seemed intolerable that he should be there.

Mimi put in many words of how much Siegfried owed for all this care and trouble.

I did not even tell her that I owed the worst and most lasting of my wounds to Philip.

Well, I owed him a long score, and I have paid him off in full.

Besides, Trapper Jim declared he owed the fox skin to Ed, anyhow.

This invaluable trait she owed largely to her grandfather's wooden leg.

For a month or so the rich Englishman to whom she owed her means had been absent, travelling.

Mansfield owed nothing to his noble relations, who were poor and uninfluential.

owed

due

indebted

owing

payable

receivable

owed

More words related to owed

charged

due

indebted

owing

payable

receivable